Imaginary - Book 2 - Chapter 25 - Rocky Coast (Patreon)

Sorry there was no free chappy on Tues/Weds - My brain has just not been cooperating the last couple weeks. I'm actually getting a little concerned, although I've had an off day, this is the first time I've had problems writing for such an extended period. Hopefully I'll be able to get into the groove soon, and if not, it might be time to change my meds. Who knows...

Anyways, enjoy!


I followed Mr. Adwell as he headed towards the gap between our house and our neighbours, but came to a stop before entering. “I’m not going down there,” I announced as the dishevelled man entered the narrow alley. “If you want to have a talk, we can have a talk right here.” 

He stopped and turned back towards me, a sly smile on his face. “Very well,” he said. 

As he started to pull his vape out of his pocket, I held out a hand. “If you want to smoke that garbage, you can stay over there. I’m tired, and I don’t want to deal with that shit,” I announced.

The man paused for a moment, then shoved the device back into his pocket. “It’s always something with you,” he muttered. 

“I don’t know why you’re complaining, you’re the one who sought me out,” I grumbled. “What is it you want?” 

He hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You know, I’ve been coming here for close to ten years, and you and your friends are by far the most interesting group that I’ve seen during that time,” Adwell said. 

I sighed. “That’s great, but it doesn’t explain why you felt the need to show up in front of my house,” I said. “Or even how you found the place in the first place. From our previous encounters, I somehow doubt you’ll tell me, so how about you just skip to the reason why you’re here.”

Adwell stared at me for a minute, long enough that I considered just turning around and marching into the house. “I’d like to know what your deal is,” he finally said. “Did you know that before I met you, I was briefed on your powers by your handler, Helen, instead of being sent a dossier? Now, it’s not unheard of; I’ve had it happen once or twice before when dealing with protected students before, but it’s been a while. Then, when you showed up in that interview room, I felt something. It was like someone lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.”

I raised an eyebrow. Based upon everything I’d learned over the last couple of days, it was probably because I attracted the nearby Prosch particles. I didn’t think anyone had noticed the change in atmosphere when I was around; apparently, I was wrong. 

“Then there was the fire in the garbage can, and that insanity when we found the Rupture heart,” he continued.

“I still don’t really know why that was a big deal,” I grumbled. 

“It’s a big deal because Rupture Hearts are rare, and actively sought after by some of the larger enclaves. You’re lucky to grab one, maybe two, out of a moderate-sized rupture. If an Empowered person wants to grow stronger, the fastest way is to participate in suppressing a Rupture. The second-fastest way is to keep a Rupture Heart on your person so you can absorb the particles. It’s even relatively safe, since the rate of absorption is so slow,” Adwell explained.

“Look, I’m sure this is going somewhere…” I muttered.

“They have an approximate half-life of a month,” Adwell explained, cutting me off. “And to the best of my knowledge, no one’s found a way to accelerate their decay. The one we found in the janitor’s closet went through several days of decay within seconds.”

“Oh,” I said quietly,

“Yeah, oh,” Adwell repeated. “At the same time that it dissolved, you passed out. So, yeah, a lot of things about you don’t add up.”

“So? Even if I seem a little mysterious, and strange things are happening around me, I don’t see why that’s your concern,” I said. “Are we done or…?”

“It’s my concern because it’s not only my job to find Empowered people to recruit, but to protect my people,” Adwell replied, standing up straight for the first time since I met him. Somehow, that little change in posture made him look a whole lot taller and far more imposing than before. 

I felt my face scrunch up, and I looked at him, confused. “Your people?” 

“Yeah, my people,” he grumbled. “I’m head of the containment procedures in the Rocky Coast Enclave.”

“That sounds like a fairly important position, one that would expose you to a lot of Prosch particles,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “If you’re so important, how did you manage to get permission to come here? Shouldn’t you have been prevented from coming?”

“It’s my last year, and I’m leaving the day after tomorrow, which is why I’m taking a big chance by coming here,” Adwell explained. “I wanted to speak with you while I could.”

Maybe it was because I was tired, but my brain was having trouble putting the pieces together, so I cocked my head to the side. “Why?”

“Because I have a feeling that if I don’t, I’ll regret it,” he said. “I’d really like to know what your powers are, but I have a feeling that you’ll go out of your way to avoid my questions. So I’ve decided to stop asking and just invite you to Rocky Coast while I have a chance.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some sort of crumpled pamphlet, which he held out to me. I hesitantly reached out and accepted it, quickly glancing at the crease-covered pages before looking up again.

“Thanks? You know if you wanted to make a good impression on me, ambushing me at my house and handing me a barely legible pamphlet isn’t the right way to do it.”

“I’m aware,” he sighed. “I didn’t bring any new ones, because I didn’t expect to meet anyone that I wanted to recruit during this trip. Here, you’ll probably find this far more interesting,” he said, passing me a business card.

Despite his assurances, I wasn’t sure what he was going on about. The card looked fairly plain, it had his full name, David Adwell, and position on the front, and a QR code on the back.

Before I could ask he took out his phone flicked through it for a minute, then scanned the QR code.

“There, now the QR code is activated. If you scan it then it’ll take you directly to the Rocky Coast recruitment page where you can ask questions, talk to one of our residents about their experiences, or arrange for a real time tour of the area,” Adwell said. “I’ve already given most of your friends a similar package.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re going out of your way like this,” I muttered.

“Honestly? I can’t tell you. Call it a hunch, or experience, or instinct,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure what it is. I just have a feeling that if I don’t make this offer now, I’ll regret it. While Amelia, Kyle and Kira would be welcome additions, it’s you and Olivia that really attracted my attention. I already know the Enclaves are going to be climbing all over themselves to recruit Olivia, but something tells me that you’ll be just as important in the long run.”

“You know that’s a strange declaration, considering every time we’ve met, you’ve been skeptical of me,” I grumbled. 

“And I’m not going to apologize for that. I know what I’ve been told about you, and I know what my instincts are telling me, and those are two completely different things. There’s something about you, kid, I know it,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “The number on that card goes directly to my direct line, so if you have any questions, you can contact me directly.”

“I… actually appreciate that. I think.” I muttered, flipping the card over a couple times in my hand.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his vape. Out of respect for me, he also backed up a couple of steps before using it. “Anyway, I’ve come and said my piece. I apologize for dropping in on you, and I hope you really consider my offer.”

“It’s the first one I’ve received, so… maybe I will. I won’t say it’s been nice, because the last few days have been a mess, but thanks for the help today. Maybe I’ll see you around.” I said sticking out my hand.

Adwell flipped his vape into his other hand and shook. “Take care kid,” he said. “And one last thing… be careful who you trust going forward. There are a couple Enclaves with shady recruitment practices, so make sure you do your research your options before you make a decision.”

“Including yours?” I asked sarcastically.

“Including mine,” he replied, stepping forard and patting me on the head. “Take care of yourself kid. It’s been weird.”

I even though I almost immediately turned around, Adwell had crossed the entire lawn and already stepping on the sidewalk before I spotted him again. I swept my hair back, fixing what he mussed up before muttering. “You can say that again.”